The invention is based on a perforated plate and on a fuel injection valve having a perforated plate. European Patent Document 0 354 659 A2 discloses a fuel injection valve having a small silicon nozzle plate disposed downstream of a valve seat; the plate has an atomization opening that widens in the flow direction. This atomization opening produces a cordlike stream, with relatively poor fuel atomization, so that the formation of the most homogeneous possible fuel-air mixture is not assured.
The production of flat streams or fanlike streams, which enable better atomization of the fuel, is known from German Patent Application 39 04 446 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,983. It provides at least one elongated indentation in the perforated plate, and each indentation discharges into a respective atomization opening. The production cost for the indentations, which have the closest possible dimensional tolerances, is quite high, however, so that the manufacture of this kind of perforated plate entails major expenses. Moreover, adhering to the close manufacturing tolerances for the indentations presents problems in mass production.